LOS ANGELES – There are mornings UCLA power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will head to Pauley Pavilion and work on his mid-range jump shot, and things will just click.

He’ll make upwards of 70 percent of them, his confidence will grow and he will eagerly anticipate the next game.

However, despite going 12 for 12 from the field during a sweep of Oregon and Oregon State last weekend, Mbah a Moute enters tonight’s game between his No. 2-ranked Bruins and No. 19 USC still lacking full confidence in his jumper.

That’s because his scoring last weekend came primarily off lay-ups, dunks and follow-ups.

“That’s the biggest thing with my shot, the confidence,” Mbah a Moute said. “I’m going to continue to work at it so I can get that confidence back and become a better shooter.”

Even with the perfect effort against the Oregon schools, Mbah a Moute is shooting 47.7 percent. That’s a significant drop from his season-long 53.5 shooting percentage.

Mbah a Moute said he is working with the coaching staff on an altered shot motion.

“I was using a lot of my arms, a lot of motion,” Mbah a Moute said. “Now, I have a quicker shot. I’m just using my wrist.”

UCLA chose HOK Sport to prepare preliminary designs for the renovation of Pauley Pavilion. School officials are hoping to dedicate a restored arena on Oct. 14, 2010, which is the 100th birthday of legendary coach John Wooden.

Meanwhile, athletic director Dan Guerrero and senior associate athletic director Ross Bjork are scheduled to visit a number of arenas in the coming week as part of a fact-finding mission for the Bruins’ renovations.

Bruins guard Arron Afflalo said he watched visiting UCLA signee Kevin Love play in Lake Oswego (Ore.) High’s game at Mater Dei of Santa Ana over the weekend. Love scored 36 points and had 15 rebounds in the upset win, and he showed off his superb scoring and passing skills.

So what does Afflalo, a junior, think of hanging around UCLA for another year to play with Love, and make the Bruins the favorite for the 2008 national title?

“It’s not a bad idea. I’ll tell you that,” Afflalo said. “I don’t want to give you the impression that I overly think about it, but it has been thought about. It sounds good to me.”

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